Back To Life
by Lani's Tamer-chi
Summary: Clockwork has decided to release Dan, and Dani is back in Amity Park because she's having problems with her powers. Are the two connected?
1. Opening the Thermos, Releasing Chaos?

I had to write an Edgar Allan-Poe style story for my Language Arts/ Reading class. I've been slightly obsessed with DP for a while now, so I wanted to use a villain from it. I decided on Dark Dan- he worked best, although I thought about using Vlad. The original is on ffn under the title of His Destruction. After I wrote it, I had to find a picture to illustrate it, so while I was browsing DeviantArt for Dan pics, I found a super cute pic of Clockwork and Dan. That's _kind of_ what this is based off of. As in, kind of, sort of, not really.

This story takes place one (1) years after TUE. PP never happened. I don't own Danny Phantom, but someday I WILL buy the rights to the show! I WILL! (Danny: I _so_ do not look forward to that day.)

* * *

After my younger self captured me and gave me to Clockwork, he kept me in a very cramped Fenton Thermos in his Clock Tower. This was not my idea of fun. Then one day, I heard someone coming near my containment cell. _Who?_ I wondered. _Clockwork?_ He had always ignored me before, and I didn't see any reason for that to change. _But who else_ could _it be?_ The Master of Time had never allowed anyone anywhere _near _my Thermos.

"Hello, Dan," the voice came. It was Clockwork. I thought so.

"What do _you_ want?" I asked, suspicious and yet curious at the same time. I could feel some things, but nothing resembling _love _or _like_ or _hate_ or anything like that.

"We haven't talked much. How do you feel about what you did?" He sounded like Jazz, worthless sister that she was.

"I don't _feel_, remember?" I said mockingly. Yet I wondered, troubled. Was that a trace of regret in my reflection on the sides of this cage? I brushed the thought away under the category of "impossible".

But he knew. He could tell that I was unsure of myself, that I felt unsettled by this remaining _emotion_. "Don't try to lie to me, Dan," he said, "I can sense your anxiety." I grumbled some incoherent insult under my breath. Who was he, to think that he knew my every thought?

"I'll ignore that distasteful remark," he continued. _How did he hear that?_ "Now, I'm going to make you an offer, so listen well. You've been quiet for the duration of your stay in my Tower, and you've behaved yourself. Inside the Tower, that's probably about two years, but in time outside the Tower, that's about a year. I'm impressed with your good behaviour, so under a few conditions, I'll give you your freedom."

He was going to give me my freedom? But, the Observants! They'd never let him do that. Wait, he didn't care about them. "What are your conditions?" I asked suspiciously.

"One, you won't be _totally_ free. I will be hanging around, supervising you. Two, behave yourself. No wreaking havoc, destruction of any kind, or causing panic. One wrong move, you're back in the Thermos. Three, we'll stay mostly in Amity Park. Now how does that sound?"

It wasn't perfect, but it was better than _this_ danged Thermos. (That's right, even though I had become a homicidal psychopath, I still didn't cuss. I saw this as another dividing line between me, the pitiful human race, and the weaker ghosts.) "_Deal!_" I yelled with an evil kind of happiness. Perhaps my feelings _were_ returning, after all. The thought was frightening. _Frightening? That could be a problem._

I could practically feel his smirk as he picked up the Thermos. It occurred to me that he might be doing this just to irritate the Observants. But Clockwork wouldn't do something this big just to make them mad.

_Or would he?_

I could feel the Thermos being uncapped. As he pressed the button, I reveled in anticipation of my freedom. It was like drinking gallons of water after three years of dying of thirst, like a glass of hot chocolate and a warm, fuzzy blanket after a blizzard.

I was _out_! Finally out! "Yaaaaahhhooooo!" I yelled, a grin on my face. "I'm FREEEEEE!" I flew up and down, all around, forwards and backwards, and in loop-the-loops. When I had finally calmed down and stopped being hyper (_me_? Hyper?), I looked at Clockwork and realized that he had been watching me with an amused smirk the whole time. Why was he always smirking? I guess that's Clockwork for you. "So, let's get outta this place," I said, impatient to wreak havoc on the life of my younger self. Wait, one of the conditions had been 'no wreaking havoc'. So, why was I so impatient to get to Amity? Maybe all I wanted really was freedom, after being incarcerated for so long.

Clockwork changed his smirk a little so that it was a kind of happy-looking smirk, and the next thing I knew, we were in good old Amity Park, the Ghost Capital of the World.

* * *

**~The Nasty Burger - Danny's POV~**

Sam,, Tucker, and I were innocently hanging out at the Nasty Burger after school, talking about perfectly normal teenage stuff. Well, the occasional 'halfa' and 'ghost' were thrown in, of course, but that was to be expected of the three of us. We were probably the only real, _trustworthy_ teenage ghost-fighting team in the city, if not the world. And as far as I knew, I was the _only _good halfa in existence. Excluding my clone, of course, but we hadn't heard from her since she disappeared. But we were mostly talking about all the homework Lancer had assigned for tonight. It didn't help that I had so much late work, either.

That was when my ghost sense just _had_ to go off.

"Now, of all times?" I muttered, exchanging knowing looks with Sam and Tucker before running off to the restroom to switch forms. When I returned, something was... off. I coudn't figure out what it was until I saw Clockwork placing medallions around Sam and Tucker's necks. I looked at my own chest and didn't see an identical medallion hanging there. There was _definitely_ something weird going on here. I walked over to my friends.

"What's the problem, Clockwork?" I asked. I figured he wouldn't be here for no reason, and the lack of a medallion and yet somehow_ not_ being frozen in time worried me.

He was smirking, but I had gotten to thinking that he was _always_ smirking. It was only _how_ he smirked that could let you in on the nature of his thoughts - amused, ornery, evil. I think the only reason he wouldn't smirk is if he were irritated, which is about as close to mad as Clockwork gets.

"It's more of an update than a problem, Danny," he said in that smirking voice of his. You could always tell when he was feeling mischievous. "There's a concert tomorrow night, and the three of you kids need to be there."

I looked at him skeptically and asked, "What, am I supposed to_ phase _us in or something?"

"Of course not," he chuckled. He whipped out four tickets and placed them in my hand. "These will get you in perfectly legally. One for each of you, and one for Jazz." Then, he disappeared, and everything unfroze, with just enough time in-between for me to return to my human form, mild-mannered Danny Fenton.

_'Aw, c'mon,' _I thought. _'I didn't even get to ask him about the medallion thing!'_

* * *

**~The Fenton Lab - Dan's POV~**

I stalked around, bored, in my parents' - were they still considered my parents? - lab. I was in my 14-year-old human form waiting for Clockwork to return from whatever it was he was doing. As soon as we'd gotten here, he'd told me he had to make some arrangements for our stay, and to stay put while he was out. That was all very well for _him_ to say, but what was _I_ supposed to _do_? It had to have been an hour at _least_ since he'd left. Well, to tell you the truth, it had only been about 10 minutes, but heck, for all _he_ knew, I could've destroyed half the world by now! '_Wait, no. He's the _Master of Time_, he knows _everything,' I thought to myself sarcastically.

"Danny? Are you down there?"

I heard a voice that I recognized quite easily. It had been one of the few I'd heard during my last visit to this Amity Park, when I was trying to secure my future. My old sister, Jazz. I heard the pitter-pattering of her footsteps on the stairs leading down to the lab. "Yeah, I'm here," I answered, wondering what harm I could possibly do by answering for my younger self.

"What are you doing home already? I thought you were going to the Nasty burger with Sam and Tucker," she said. She was standing at the bottom of the stairs now, hands folded across her waist, looking confused.

I smirked inwardly. Same old, same old. So, he was at the Nasty Burger. That place brought back memories. "It turned out that Sam and Tucker had a lot of homework," I said, "So I figured that I might as well come home." Best to try and avoid suspicion, I suppose.

Before I had time to react, Jazz had dragged me, by the back of my shirt collar, up two flights of stairs and into my old room, which had some new glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling. He - or I - was still into astronomy. "Danny, do you have any homework?" she asked. What was _her_ glitch*?

"No," I answered, hoping that Danny didn't have homework today.

"Good. Listen, Danny, Mom and Dad have been getting suspicious lately. I think you need to be a little more careful with your powers, okay? Just try to not use them so much, and be careful about who sees you. I'm not trying to nag, but you've been using your powers for _everything_, from getting downstairs in the morning, to roasting marshmallows! So, just watch yourself, okay?" So that was what this was about. She was concerned. How sweet. But now, what would Danny-boy say...

"I get it, Jazz. Thanks," I said. I hope I hadn't taken too long to answer.

Apparently I hadn't. She smiled. "Anytime, Danny. I just want to help. I'm gonna go to the Nasty Burger. Do you want to come with me?"

I wasn't sure if I should, considering that the Nasty Burger was where Danny was probably hanging out with his - my? - friends. But not saying yes would look suspicious, and there was a chance that they'd decided to go to Sam or Tucker's house instead.

"Yeah, why not?" I agreed, hoping with everything I had that the three, especially Danny, weren't there.

Wait a second. I was _hoping_. Was that a sign of feeling?

But that didn't matter right now. I was doing something Clockwork had _specifically_ told me _not_ to do, and if Danny, Sam, and Tucker were at the Nasty Burger, I could be in _big_ trouble.

* * *

*My history teacher says "What's your glitch?" instead of "What's your problem?". It seemed like something fun to do with Dan.

So, what did ya think, huh? I know it was kind of short, but I'm hoping to make the next chapters longer. This is my first published story that was planned to be a multi-chapter story, so if I do something wrong, please tell me. And I'm always open to constructive criticism, so if you see something iffy, tell me.

I've been reading Hanajima Uchiha's "Second Chance" story, and it gave me this idea. So yes, this IS a lot like that, in that Dan has returned, Dan is a good guy, and it's a DanxDani story. But I'm fairly sure that's where the similarities end. Dani's not here yet, but she will be here within the next few chapters.

R&R please! I have Anonymous Reviews ON, so you have no reason not to. Well, if you for some reason have to get off your computer RIGHT NOW, or if you can't type right now, you do, but anyone who can review, it would be appreciated! thanks for reading!

Viki


	2. Danny's Double

Man, you guys really deserve better than this. I don't even remember the last time I updated… That doesn't mean much, does it? I have the memory of a goldfish. But yeah. I'm sorry I haven't updated for a while. I've had this written for a week or so, but I never got around to typing it up. But I'm doing it now, so that counts for something, right?

Now I had a few things I wanted to say… Oh, yes. I'm terribly sorry. I have two OCs that I've half-planned a story for, but they got impatient. So they bribed Dan and Jazz to let them in to this one. I really hadn't planned to put any OCs in here. And then there's the little matter of Dani's lack of appearance. She'll be here soon, don't worry. She'll probably show up in either Chapter 4 or Chapter 5.

Well, I think I've covered everything! Oh, one more thing real fast so I don't get sued. **I don't own Danny Phantom. Yet.** Well, that's everything! Hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

**~Nasty Burger – Chandelle's POV~**

For what was probably the hundredth time that day, I glanced furtively at the door to the restaurant I was in. Robin – I mean, _Jeremy_ studied my face from across the booth, trying to find the slightest change in my expression. I knew without needing to look in a mirror that he'd find nothing encouraging. We sighed simultaneously. I attempted to smile at him as I glanced at the door again.

I saw it open, and kept my eyes on the doorway hopefully. I grinned when the pair we'd been waiting for _finally_ walked in.

I sensed Robi – er, _Jeremy_'s grin as he looked at my face. "I take it we have company?" he queried softly, but with eagerness. I confirmed his suspicions with only the slightest of nods, keeping my eyes on the two the entire time.

"Let's get this party _started_," I said under my breath, so quiet that even Jeremy could barely hear me. He nodded. We were both ready to finally get some action.

* * *

**~Nasty Burger – Dan's POV~**

I took a quick glance around the restaurant as we stepped in. I immediately recognized my younger self – the person who I was supposed to be right now.

Jazz was surveying the area for a place to sit. Any moment now, she'd see the real Danny and my true identity would be exposed to the whole town.

Why hadn't I just gone invisible and ignored Jazz?

It was then that I heard two voices, familiar to me from my time in the Thermos. Clockwork's apprentices! He'd known this would happen!

"_What_ did you say?" the first voice asked. She wasn't yelling, not yet at least, but her voice could still be heard by everyone in the vicinity.

"What, now you're _deaf_, too? It's not enough for you to interrupt my every _word_?" her male companion retorted. His voice was just _dripping_ with sarcasm, only a tiny bit louder than she was. What were they planning?

"Ugh! I can't believe I ever thought you were a gentleman!"

"Why don't you go cry to one of your _boy toys_?"

"I gave that up for you, you lying, cheating, frog!"

Their fake argument was steadily escalating, and I'd finally located them. I'd never seen them before, because they hadn't come to ClockTower until after me. The looks on their faces were hysterical. Chandelle – nicknamed "Lily" because she only ever wore white, green, and blue – had a look on her face reminiscent of a five-year-old who had just lost their favorite toy, and she was close to tears. But her voice had a hint of laughter. Robin, Clockwork's "Green Arrow," had murder on his face, but merriment and mischief were in his laughing blue eyes.

But his voice was that of a raging fiery dragon. "Oh, I'm a frog now, am I? I guess that would make you a slithering little _snake_!"

She sure had snake's venom in her next sentence. "Why don't you just go crawl in a hole and _die_, you little _worm_!"

They were standing up now, with fists grinding into the table, trying to glare daggers at each other.

"You wanna say that again, little Miss Damsel in Distress?"

"Yeah, I'll say it again!" She started glowing red and floated up in the air. "DIE!" She shot a red beam at him. The battle scene had begun.

But I had bigger concerns. "Danny, you have to go ghost!" Jazz whispered, as if she was trying to scream under her breath. "They're going to destroy the Nasty Burger!"

I grinned. _'So _this_ is their plan,'_ I thought. I ran to the restroom hall, where I knew the real Danny would be running to as well. Quickly, before he arrived, I changed into my ghost form, turned invisible and intangible, and flew out of there, racing to the Fentons' basement.

Everything was fine. Everything was… the _way it was supposed to be._

* * *

**~Nasty Burger – Danny's POV~**

"Danny! You need to go ghost, man! They're gonna destroy the Nasty Burger!" Tucker said in alarm. I rolled my eyes. Like I didn't already know _that_ much.

"I'll be right back," I said. "I sure hope one of you has the thermos." Sam began rummaging through her backpack as I sprinted off to go to the hall where the restroom doors were located.

I was approaching the corner when I saw a sudden bright sky blue flash coming from the hall. When I rounded the corner, I thought I glimpsed Dan's head. I mean, I know it was probably just a trick of my mind, but I even thought I felt his ectosignature. And that's almost unmistakable.

Shaking off my unreasonable concerns, I changed into Danny Phantom. Even that, the transformation that usually gave me a feeling of calm, brought on a wave of unease. I ignored it and flew out into the main dining area where the two new ghosts were fighting like Kitty and Johnny 13.

"Take _that_, dunderhead!" The girl shot one of her red beams at him, missing his neck by only a few inches.

"I never want to see your baby-face again!" The boy put his hands together and began slowly pulling them apart, a sphere of hot pink ectoplasm forming and growing between them.

I'd had about enough of this. These two were _not_ going to hurt innocent, defenseless humans over their personal problems in _my_ lifetime. I drew energy into my hands for an ectoblast.

"Take your breakup out of my town and back into the Ghost Zone!" I yelled.

There was an eerie silence. _I guess I caught their attention._

But that wasn't the biggest surprise. Everything was still for a moment, and then the two shared a glance.

The next thing I knew, they were both on one knee before me.

"May we be of service to you, Prince Phantom?"

* * *

Well that's just _great_. These stupid characters are turning against me, and my own OCs are leading the rebellion! This story is taking detours I never intended for it to take. Oh well. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em, I guess. So we're going to be on a wild ride until I manage to show my characters who's boss around here and put this story back in its place.

I promise, I promise, I _promise_ I'll update fast next time! Please R&R!

Viki


	3. The New Ghosts in Town

Go read Chapter 2, or else you'll get confused! I replaced the Chapter 2 A/N with an actual chapter, and I don't think anyone got an alert about it.

I'm just gonna get the disclaimer outta the way real quick so I don't have to worry about it later, 'k? Good. **I don't own Danny Phantom. Yet.** The plan is to own it within fifteen years. I'm taking any and all suggestions!

I am SO SORRY! I was gonna post this yesterday, but we unplugged our computer because of the storm before I got a chance.

Hm…

I think I'm just gonna wait until the closing A/N to dump all the info on you. Because there is A LOT OF IT. Just read right now.

* * *

**~Recap~**

_The next thing I knew, they were both on one knee before me._

"_May we be of service to you, Prince Phantom?"_

* * *

**~Nasty Burger – Danny's POV~**

I tensed when I heard the title. Most ghost who knew about my royal status and were willing to serve the royal house even in times of peace, like Frostbite, stayed in the Ghost Zone unless thy or their kingdom were in trouble.

"Is there a problem?" I asked them, concerned. '_Is this about the disturbance I felt earlier?'_

"Um... Yeah, I guess you could call it a problem," the girl said as they both rose. I finally got a good view of them, now that they weren't fluttering around trying to shoot each other. The girl had mother-of-peal white hair – as in, it was white, shiny, and the light threw rainbows across it when she moved. She also wore a flowing off-white dress, and her skin tone was the same as Clockwork's. The boy looked exactly like Link – yeah, from the Legend of Zelda games. He even had a normal, _human_ skin tone. It was weird.

No time to think about things like that. I was supposed to be Amity Park's peacekeeper, and the presence of two ghosts in the middle of the Nasty Burger was _not_ gonna give these people peace. "Follow me," I told them. The three of us flew off to FentonWorks.

* * *

**~Nasty Burger – Sam's POV~**

When we saw Danny fly off with the two new ghosts, I grabbed Tucker's arm and dashed for the door. On our way out, I saw Jazz. I figured I might as well take her along, too, so I grabbed her arm and left the Nasty Burger with both Tucker and Jazz in tow.

Figuring that Danny was taking his new pals to FentonWorks, I headed there. And even if he wasn't there, we could still use the Boo-merang® to find him.

What was with those two anyways? They had called Danny 'Prince'. What was up with that? Were they from the Far Frozen* or something? And Danny hadn't questioned it, though it did seem like he had flinched. There was _definitely_ something going on here, and as soon as I found Danny, I was going to get some answers.

* * *

**~Some Park Near the Nasty Burger** - Dan's POV~**

I had decided to go to the park, rather than risk running into someone (probably Danny himself, with my luck) at FentonWorks. Hopefully, Clockwork would know I was going to be here, and he'd come pick me up before I did something stupid, like get punched by Dash. That wouldn't be so bad, but my reflexes would lead me to ectoblast him back.

I was sure Clockwork would come. He knew I would be here, after all. But who knew? Maybe this was all part of his plan. Knowing him, it would be.

"Dan!"

I looked over to where I heard my name.

Clockwork stood there in all of his All-Knowing-Master-of-Time glory.

There were just two problems.

One, he didn't have his time staff. And two, he was a human teenager – I couldn't feel a_ trace_ of his ectosignature.

* * *

*What do you call someone from the Far Frozen? People from America are Americans, so... Far Frozenian? I need some help here.

**I laughed at this because in my first draft, this line was, "Some Park Somewhere in Amity Park". Just saying "A park in Amity Park" cracks me up. I'm wierd like that.

* * *

Oh, man! EVIL CLIFFY! And it was short, too! Am I evil or _what_? So, what did you think? Are you _mad_? I hope you are!

Has Clockwork lost his powers? Is he a human? Is this kid actually Clockwork? And who are the two new ghosts? Why are they here? Are they good or evil? Are they, in fact, from the Far Frozen? Why am I even asking you? I'm the author and I already know this stuff! Stay tuned for the next chapter of… _Back to Life!_

Well, that was odd.

See, the part inspired by the pic is coming up soon, within the next few chapters. I'll put up a link to it when we get there. And I've decided that Dani will appear, _for sure_, in Chapter Five. Danny, Dan, Clockwork, Valerie, and Ember have some business they need to take care of first. Yes, you read that right. Valerie and Ember.

By the way, I'm putting in a new OC who's going to appear in the same chapter as Dani. Her name is Kylie Bennett. She's not mine though! She belongs to **Zandaya**, and Kylie made her debut in the story _The Journalist_, which is still in progress. Thanks, Zandaya! :3 She'll be a bit different, though.

R&R! I have a special surprise in the next chapter for the five lucky reviewers! (Hinthint: Leave your first name, hair color, and favorite song. You'll see. *Evil grin*)

I just realized how short this chapter was. Sorry. I'll make up for it next chapter, though, 'cause I have like fifty gazillion things to take care of before anyone gets to see Dani.

To everyone out there who looks at/has looked at my profile, I request that you check it around the first of every month, starting with February. If something happens that will affect my updates, I'll put it up in my profile rather than putting an A/N chapter up. I also plan to update my stories on Saturdays, and when my new stories will usually be uploaded on Sundays. Thanks!

Last order of business! I have decided to remove all dates, times, etc. from the Setting lines. It was annoying me that my updates weren't keeping up with my date/times.

Viki

P.S. Y'know, it's really sad that this story _that I'm writing the original version of_ is getting less reviews than my adopted story, _In Between the Sunsets_. My poor little baby. Oh well. I'll live with it.

P.P.S. Wooow. Seriously long A/N. O.O


	4. Insert Cool Chapter Title Here

**IDNODP**

Okay, okay, yes. I know I'm like over a week late. I'll probably end up editing this chapter, too, because I think I mixed up some of Dan's sciencey stuff. Goody, more science research. And I'm serious about that being good, because I _love_ science. Love it. But please, read the chapter.

**~ FentonWorks – Normal POV~**

"So, they dodged all of your questions, and then they just… up and _left_?" Sam asked.

Danny sighed. "Yeah, that's about it." Team Phantom was sitting in Danny's room. Jazz and Tucker were on his bed, Sam was in his computer chair, and Danny was on the throw rug by his bed. The two new ghosts had flown off, so when Sam had arrived with Jazz and Tucker, Danny was sitting on the floor looking annoyed.

"What do you think they wanted to talk to you about?" Sam asked.

"I don't know… I wasn't frozen in time, and I didn't have a medallion. I don't think that was it, though. I think it's something about Dan. There was something in the hall, just before I transformed. I thought I saw his head," Danny claimed.

Jazz was skeptical. "Maybe you're just paranoid."

Danny sighed. "No, Jazz. I felt his ectosignature. I'm sure he was there," he insisted.

"Dude, this is _not_ cool. I was planning to play Doomed 3.0 on Saturday. Let's get him back in the thermos before the concert tomorrow night," Tucker said.

"You have Doomed _3.0_? That's barely a week old!" Danny exclaimed.

"Wait, what concert?" Jazz asked.

"The concert clockwork gave us tickets for at the Nasty Burger. It's tomorrow night, and yes, there's a ticket for you, too," Danny told her with an annoyed sigh.

"But-but you weren't at the Nasty burger until those ghosts showed up!" Jazz protested.

As soon as she'd spoken, Jazz gasped. "Oh, no," she said.

"What?" Danny asked. Jazz looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"If you were at the Nasty Burger with Sam and Tucker, then the Danny that I was with must have been Dan!" the redhead exclaimed.

Danny deadpanned. "We're doomed," he mumbled, falling back on the carpet. "Doomed."

"Danny, shut up," Sam commanded. "At least now we know that he can disguise himself as you."

Jazz suddenly found the carpet very interesting. "Actually, I already knew that," she said quietly.

"That doesn't help any," Danny complained.

"Dude, seriously. Stop whining," Tucker said.

Danny sat back up and sighed. "I should probably go see Clockwork…" he announced lackadaisically.

The other three looked at him warily. "Are you sure?" Jazz asked.

"She has a point, Danny. If Clockwork was keeping the Thermos in his tower, wouldn't Dan have probably killed him before coming here?" Sam reminded him.

"I'm not sure that's possible, and even if Clockwork _is_ dead, I'd like to make sure. Besides, no matter what I find, there's _always_ some helpful hint in Clock Tower – even if I have to time-travel to find it."

"If you insist," Jazz said. The other two nodded.

"Take the Fenton Phones. That way we can talk to you while you fly," Sam suggested.

Danny nodded. "Okay. I'll see you guys later. _Going Ghost!_"

The rings traveled up and down his body, leaving Phantom in their wake. Danny turned intangible and flew down through the floor to the Lab and the Portal.

Jazz jumped up. "I'll grab us a pair of Fenton Phones," she said.

linebreak

**~Clock Tower – Normal POV~**

"I'm going inside," Danny said.

"He's not here, guys."

"He's _dead_?"

"No, I mean he's actually _gone_. He even left a note."

"I was planning on it, Jazz."

linebreak

**~Clockwork's Note~**

Team Phantom: I know why you've come. I'm staying in the Human Zone for a while. Yes, Dan is out of his Thermos, but don't go looking for him. Those ghosts you met earlier are under my orders. You'll see them again.

Don't you _dare_ try anything funny, and don't try to contact me. Wait for me to come to you. You won't have to wait long. If the need arises, the Observants will get a message to you. Until then, don't worry about it, and go about your day as usual. I know you have a lot of questions for me, and I'll tell you as much as I can when I see you. Right now, though, I can't say very much. I can't safely say some things to anyone but Danny.

I have an errand I need you to run for me, Danny. Go to Valerie's house in Phantom form. She should have something for you to pick up. And you must remember to go as Phantom, because Fenton wouldn't know about this. She'll request proof that you're the one I sent to pick It up. Take a Time Medallion. That should be enough to satisfy her. Take care of It for me until I come.

Sam, Tucker, and Jazz – you three need to lie low with your ghosthunting for a while. You don't need to worry about the safety of the city. I'll be sending reinforcements to assist you within twenty-four hours. Please use caution if, at any time, you find it necessary to fight a ghost. Speak to ghosts only in areas where no-one can hear you.

I've said all that I can safely say, for now. Please excuse yourself from the Tower.

But remember, _BE CAREFUL_!

linebreak

**~Clock Tower – Normal POV~**

"He signed it C. W."

"Well, I guess that's all the information we're getting. You better get home."

"Yeah. See you in a few."

"See ya."

linebreak

**~Some Park Near the Nasty Burger – Normal POV~**

"…"

"May I ask why you're just sitting there _staring_ at me?"

"…Clockwork?"

"Yes, Dan?" the Master of Time asked irritably.

"Why… How are you a human?"

Clockwork sighed. "I just _look_ human, Dan. Same as you," he explained with exaggerated patience. "When I don't have my Time Staff, I automatically revert to my human form. My ectosignature disappears as well."

"Oh. Okay… so, what next?" Dan asked. He was still getting over the shock of seeing Clockwork without his Time Staff.

The Master of Time shrugged. "Probably go to Master's mansion. I promised him I'd introduce you two, and I have something to discuss with him before the weekend anyways."

"Vlad has a mansion here?" Dan asked. He got up and followed Clockwork, who had turned and started walking.

"He happens to be mayor of Amity Park."

Dan's eyes widened slightly. _'Everything is so different from my timeline. What else have I missed?'_

Just before they arrived, Clockwork remembered something. "Oh, I guess I should tell you that when I'm in my human form, I'm called Chronos Williams, Chronos with a c-h*. You're going to be Dan Williams, my adopted brother. And just so I can keep a better eye on you, you'll be living in my condo."

Dan rolled his eyes. "I suppose that means you're staying in this Zone for a while." Clockwork nodded. "Is this it?"

Clockwork – or Chronos, as we shall now call him – and Dan were standing in front of a tall black gate that protected a huge, light gray, five-story-tall mansion. Dan knew on sight that it was Vlad's style.

"Yeah," Chronos answered. He pushed a button on a console attached to one pillar beside the gate. "Hey, Masters. It's Chronos, and Dan's with me. Open the gates."

An aggravated sigh came from Vlad's end, but the gates opened. Chronos walked in and gestured for Dan to follow him.

linebreak

**~Vlad's Mansion –Dan's POV~**

Vlad greeted us as we entered through the huge black double doors. He almost seemed happier than I remembered. I suppose that was to be expected, of course, because my last memories of human emotion were his, and he'd been mourning the Fentons and staring my first form in the face. It was a mix of depression and fear.

"So, you are the infamous Dan Williams. Of course, you already know me, so let's not waste time on introductions. I'd like to show you around my mansion, since you don't know this one. I'd also like you to meet my staff. This way, please," Vlad said.

Either A, he was playing the gracious host, or B, Clockwork had gotten on his good side. I had a feeling it was B, because it was obvious when he was faking something. Vlad had never been very good at hiding his true feelings.

Our first stop was the kitchen. It looked like something you'd find in an upscale New York City restaurant, with black marble counters and a walk-in steel fridge. You wouldn't see it at first glance, but on one wall of the fridge was the door to a _huge_ meat freezer. I didn't understand all the options, but from what I could tell, the oven was really high-tech. The dishwasher was huge and had a ton of options, too. There were four huge stainless steel sinks, although why anyone would want four sinks, I don't know. I wondered where the kitchen staff was, but that was quickly explained. Vlad said that he usually only had a few people working in his kitchen, and they were on their lunch breaks at the moment.

Nest we passed a green door with yellow trim. There was a sign on it that read 'PACKERS'. "Rather than decorate the whole mansion with a Packers theme, I simply devoted one room to them this time," Vlad said. "Bright green and yellow are just too gaudy for the entire castle." We didn't go in.

The third door we came to, second on the left beside the kitchen, was a huge ballroom. It had a high ceiling, and you could've put three elephants in there with room to spare. The whole place was lit by three crystal chandeliers, each one about ten feet across. I particularly approved of the color scheme- crimson and cream. "My Grand Ballroom. This is where I host political dinners, luncheons, Christmas parties, et cetera, et cetera."

After the Grand Ballroom, we found the first room the was actually used on a daily basis. "Welcome to my living room, one of the few rooms where I can relax, when I have the time. I personally enjoy watching Packers games on my 60-inch plasma screen HDTV. Great quality. And then I have a Wii®. I bought that for when I have to babysit my sisters' kids. It's very handy."

Everything in this room was blue or silver. The thin, plush carpeting was Danny Phantom gray. A long, velvety, midnight blue sofa faced the silver-trimmed TV, with a glass-and-silver coffee table just in front of the couch. The walls were sky blue and had clusters of multi-shaded gray tiling scattered over the expanse. A tall memory-foam-like silver chair sat at near the sofa. In a built-in space in the wall sat a silver Wii®, complete with every Wii® accessory known to man and ghost, along with about 30 games. A built-in bookshelf facing the door housed probably about 25 human/ghost classics, as well as some news magazines like _Time_ and _Zone_.

The fifth door was cream-colored stained glass trimmed by maple wood. When we went in, we found an Italian-themed dining room. This room was much smaller than the other rooms we'd seen. The wallpaper was the color of sandstone, and the floor was maple wood, like the door. A grapevine-decorated tablecloth that matched the border plastered where the wall met the ceiling covered a rectangular table in the middle of the room. There were six carved maple wood chairs around it, one at each end and two on each side. In the center of the table sat a single mauve rose in a thin, pale green vase. One wall had a painting of a solitary figure sitting on a stone bridge, while another wall boasted a painting of a vase with a bunch of flowers. "Hey, Vlad, who painted these?" I asked, gesturing to the pictures.

"Adolf Hitler*. These are just copies of his work, though, as I haven't been able to locate the originals," he told me. Well, that figured. I hadn't known that Hitler was an artist, but it didn't surprise me in the least that Vlad would want his work on the walls. Amazingly, they were actually rather beautiful – to me, at least.

'_Now that I think about it… We're not all that different, Hitler and me. We're both responsible for killing a lot of people,'_ I thought. Not the most sunshine-and-glitter thing in the world, but it was true. In my timeline, I'd been even _worse_ than Hitler. I didn't single out a certain group of people to kill, I just… Killed people. I killed _everyone_ but Amity Park, and those people only escaped my wrath because of the ghost shield. But that's off-topic.

I'm not even going to _try_ to describe the other rooms, simply because it would take all day. For his nieces and nephews, he had not only a Wii® in the living room, but also a game room, a bowling alley, and a movie theatre. That was his second floor. The third had his weight training room, gym, obstacle course, and an elevator directly to his first-floor natatorium*, all places where he worked out and trained for his ghost fights. The fourth floor was bedrooms. There was his, of course, but there were also several guest bedrooms. One of them looked like it was made for Danny, and I suspected another was made specifically for someone else. Unfortunately, I couldn't figure out who that someone else was. It didn't seem perfect for Maddie or Jazz, and Vlad always went for the best. This would be yet another mystery for me to solve.

His library was the basement. I don't mean it was _in_ his basement, I mean it _was_ his basement. That was the only room down there. He also told us that his ghost lab and his home office were a few yards below the library, accessibly only with intangibility. We found a few people in the library. Some were re-shelving books, some were reading books, and some were looking for books to read.

"Well, that's the mansion," Vlad said. We were back in the living room. "I'm sure the rest of my staff is around here somewhere. If you want to go looking for them, feel free, but I believe Chronos had something to discuss with me. Correct?"

Clockwork nodded. "Yeah. Dan, you should go wander around. We'll be done in about an hour or so." I nodded and turned to leave the room.

What did they want to talk about? I'd have to ask Clockwork later. _'Guess I should start calling him Chronos,'_ I thought. That's what Vlad called him, and he _had_ told me to call him that. He'd known what would help me so far, and he'd been honest about it, so… Reluctantly I admitted to myself that, for some mysterious reason, Clockwork – _Chronos_ really did want to keep me safe, my identity protected, and me out of trouble. Was he worried that the Observants would interfere if they figured out who I was? I mean, he was making sure my temper stayed under control, but there was an _obvious_ reason for that. Everything else is so _unknown_. I hated it, I hated the not knowing.

…

I thought I'd abandoned all my human emotions years ago, but when I was honest with myself, the reason I hated not knowing was because… The unknown frightened me. If I didn't know something, I couldn't control it, and I hated not having control.

…

No. Those weren't weak, _human_ emotions. It was perfectly normal for a _ghost_ to fear what they couldn't control. After all, when ectoplasm entered the bloodstream and took control of the body's chemical production, it made excess quartosol. That meant that ghosts had hyperactive fight-or-flight reactions. They'd want to be able to control that, so naturally, they'd want to have control over everything – to prevent getting into a situation where the adrenalin glad would become active. The reason ghosts attacked my younger self was obvious. He attacked almost all ghosts on sight, so their quartozol and adrenalin productions increased heavily around him.

…Dangit, Cl – Chronos. I get all science-y and junk when I'm alone, and he knew it. I'd bet that he'd been planning this all along. I sighed.

Clockwork – meddling _again_. But why this time?

linebreak

**~In Front of Sam's Mansion – Danny's POV~**

"Hey, Sam, we're here," I told her over my cell phone. She sprinted out the door milliseconds after I said it. I laughed quietly at her face. My guess was, her mom had gotten her another pink dress.

"That was the best timing ever, Danny," she said as she got in the car, only there was a pant every few words. "My mom bought this gaudy pink-and-yellow _cake dress_ with way too many ribbons and bows and lace, and it looked like a show tent at a Barbie made out of an illegally poached rainbow Barbie unicorn!"

I winced. Sam had just done the Goth _and _ultra-recyclo-vegetarian equivalent of cussing out that dress. We really had come just in time to save her. she probably would've died of embarrassment if her mom had been able to force that dress on her.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that when we get into the concert," Tucker said. He pointed to the building where the concert would start in about fifteen minutes. A huge sign hung above the doors reading "EMBER MCLAIN LIVE – TONIGHT!"

So that was why Clockwork wanted us here. We were supposed to stop her, and this place wasn't our normal patrol routes. I wouldn't have known what was going on if he hadn't given me a heads-up.

I guess I should explain what was going on. It was Friday night, the night of the concert, and Jazz had volunteered to drive everyone there. It made sense, since she was the only one of us old enough to drive. Luckily, none of our parents had questioned where we were going or how we had tickets to a concert they didn't know about. I wondered how Sam had gotten this whole thing past her parents, but I just figured she'd tell me later. Anyway, now we were at Amity Park Center. Tht was where we had all of our concerts and stuff.

Oh, yeah, there's one more thing I should probably tell you about. After school today, I'd flown over to Valerie's house (as Phantom) and picked the 'It' like Clockwork had asked. She'd wanted proof like he said he would, and he had been right about the medallion. I actually hadn't realized until I got there that the reason she was suspicious was because I was Phantom. Go figure. Anyways, after we'd cleared that up, she gave me '_Astrolaqua_,' a sword that, according to her, had superpowers. I thought it was pretty dang cool. she showed me how to compact it into its smaller form, a star keychain. We talked for a while, and then I went home to try to get some homework done.

Back to the concert and what was happening _now_. We went through the normal stuff and got in our seats like everyone else. All four of us knew the drill with ember – act normal until the lights start dimming, then I'd go and transform in the bathroom. When I got into the main area, she'd stop singing to power up her guitar, I'd attack, the fans would flee, we'd fight for a while, and I'd suck her in the Thermos. If something happened and I needed backup, Team Phantom had one pair of Fenton Phones each and Tuck had ghost-fighting equipment in his backpack. It always worked.

At least, almost always. The lights dimmed, and I went out. But I didn't hear Ember start with her normal line, "Amity Park, tell me who you love!" No, instead what I heard was: "Hey, Amity Park! We've got a special guest singer tonight! Please welcome my BFF, _NICOLE GRAVES_!" The crowd burst into cheers of "Ni-cole! Ni-cole!" but I was messed up. What kind of a stunt was Ember pulling? I was totally unprepared for this. What was going on?

Meanwhile, the show continued. I heard a new voice, presumably Nicole's. "Hey, Amity! We've been planning this gig for a while, and it's my first concert. My style's a bit different from Ember's, so we're gonna do things _way_ different. We're gonna start kinda soft and end with a _bang_!" Bang? Could that be a clue? Was Nicole's power to blow stuff up or something? It might make sense.

As I let the blue rings form around me, I heard someone sing the first few notes of one of Jazz's favorite songs. My sister listened to it enough that I recognized it as 'Mine,' by Taylor Swift. So that's what Nicole had been talking about.

"_You were in college part-time waitin' tables…"_ Hm… Ember's songs usually gave clues on how to beat her, so would Nicole be the same way? If she was, I'd have to figure out what she wanted the audience to do though the song.

I flew through a wall and saw her. Nicole had strawberry-blonde hair, like… a human. She wasn't a ghost! The only glow around her was the spotlight, and her guitar looked normal. Now that I really listened to her voice didn't have that ghostly undertone. Ember was _really_ messing with my head. Having a human come on stage to sing? Very OOC for her. What next?

After her "We're gonna make it now, I can see it," line, Nicole yelled (with a lot emotion, like she'd practiced it and figured out where to put it in the song), "We've got one more surprise for you! Please welcome… _Danny Phantom_!" She gestured dramatically to me. The audience thought she was just pointing at me so they'd know where to look, but I caught the little signal she made with her finger – _Play along, don't ruin it! C'mon!_ I didn't know what else to do, so I went with it.

I dropped down to the floor near the stage, where the standing fans parted to make way for me. I high-fived a few people and moved towards the stage as the crowd made a path for me, accumulating some more high-fives as I floated along. I flew up onto the elevated platform. I gave Ember a look that said "What the heck?", but she just smiled. "_Talk_," she mouthed. I listened to the music and realized it was fading. She wanted me to talk to the crowd, say something about hoe much fun I was having.

"Hey, people!" I yelled into the microphone when the song had completely finished. "You guys having fun?" They screamed. I caught traces of Sam, Tucker, and Jazz's yells, and looked towards where they were. They were so far away that even with my super-sight, I could barely make out the worry on their faces. I had to let them know that we were gonna play this by ear**. First, though, I had some customary concert stuff to take care of.

"I can't hear you!" The crowd yelled louder. "Yeah! That's more like it! You guys rock!" I could hear the first few notes of a song in my head. I wasn't sure why I was hearing it, but something told me to go with the music. "For this next song I want you all to take out your cell phones, IPods, whatever, and wave them in the air to the music. Go with the flow!" I said. I hoped that would get my message to my friends.

It must have. I saw them smile, and they got out their phones along with everyone else. The second I said "flow," the music in my head started playing in my ears, as well. When my cue came, I started singing.

"_You would not believe your eyes_

"_If ten million fireflies_

"_Lit up the world as I fell asleep…"_

Everyone went crazy. In that moment, I understood why Ember liked being a star – the rush of knowing that the crowd loved you was amazing. Strangely, this was even better than having the masses cheer as I battled a ghost. I briefly wondered if this was what a high on drugs felt like.

I had to concentrate on the song, though. When we reached a certain line, I wanted to surprise the fans with something.

"-and I keep them in a jar!" As the echo surrounded us, I released thousands of little glowing ectoplasmic balls into the audience. There was a millisecond of pause in the crowd before they burst into applause so loud that I had to clench my eyes shut.

After Fireflies, we sang some more country stuff and some more Owl City stuff. I was surprised that we hadn't sung Remember ember, but the rockstar didn't hesitate for a second when we announced our songs.

The 'bang' Nicole had hinted at ended up being pretty awesome. What she had meant was that Ember had rigged everything with glowstick-wire-thingies, so we had the really cool light show going on during the entire last song. That, and instead of fading out like the original song, Ember ended with a really loud note and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, taking me and Nicole with her.

linebreak

**~Amity Park Center – Sam's POV~**

When Danny disappeared along with Ember, I knew something was up. She'd set this whole thing up so that we'd think it was an 'innocent' concert, and saved the battle for afterwards – when she'd be at her strongest. Tucker and Jazz had picked up on it, too, and the three of us ran out the doors and around backstage. That was probably where the witch had taken him.

We were only yards away from the door when it opened, revealing Danny – in his human form, but safe and sound. Something seemed a little bit off, but I'd been fighting ghosts for two-and-a-half years. I brushed off a lot of stuff as just paranoia. There was usually a good, totally normal explanation for whatever was going on.

"Danny! Where's Ember? Do you have any idea what's going on?" Jazz asked.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah, well, she… Clockwork sent her to give me a message. And, um, I can't tell you what the message said for another week, so, who's up for… ice cream at the Nasty Burger?"

That weird feeling was still on the back of my neck, but I pushed it away as I nodded. Maybe something _was_ up, but we could talk about it over something cold and sweet.

When we were all seated in a booth at the Nasty Burger with ice cream (or for me and Jazz, slushies), I brought it up. "So, Danny, what's the problem?" I asked. He tensed a little.

"Like I said, I'm not supposed to tell you guys for another week," Danny reminded me. "I have my orders. Can't we just relax for a while? It's not like it'll kill us to just hang out. None of us has to be home until eleven, right?" We nodded. It _did_ feel good to have the night off.

**~FentonWorks – Jazz's POV~**

Sam ended up coming home with Danny and me. Apparently, her parents were going on a business trip to New York over the weekend. We decided that she'd sleep in my room for the next couple nights.

We had barely gotten in the door when something – or some_one_ flew in. Well, more like she _fell_ in. A girl that looked like a female carbon copy of my brother in ghost form dropped intangibly though the ceiling, right into Danny's arms. He reflexively shot his arms out to catch her.

"Danny?" the girl asked weakly. She knew him, and he seemed to know her, too.

"C'mon, let's get you upstairs to the first aid kit," he said. Only then did I notice that she was bleeding in several places, and bruises were beginning to form across her body. She must have been fighting someone.

When we were all in Danny's room, Sam got the medical kit out from under his bed, he made the new girl comfortable on his bed, and I stood guard by the door. I wanted to know who she was, and my guess was that Sam and Danny did too, but that could wait until she was all bandaged up.

As soon as we'd gotten her all nice and comfy and her wounds were taken care of, the poor kid fell asleep. The three of us went to my room to talk. "Danny, have you ever seen that girl before?" I asked.

He nodded. "Sure," he said. "She's my clone, Danielle. Vlad created her after he gave up on getting me to go over to his side. Right, Sam?" She confirmed it with a nod.

"Okay, but what are we going to do with her?" I asked.

"I'll make arrangements in the morning. Right now, though, we'd better get to bed. I think we're gonna have a long day tomorrow," Danny said.

"Good idea," Sam yawned. "'Night, Danny."

"'Night, Sam, Jazz."

"See you in the morning, little brother."

* * *

So, was it long enough? What did you think?

I only got a WHOPPING THREE reviews for Chapter 3. Kind of ironic, don't you think? Thank yous and cookies go to: Codiak, EmberMclain13, and Hanajima Uchiha. And of those three, the only one to get the awesome prize was EmberMclain13, who was featured as NICOLE. I don't think that Graves is her real last name, but there's a girl I know named Nicole Graves. And I'm not afraid to say that on here because there's probably like a billion of them in the world. At least, there's a billion or so Vikis in the world with my last name. But let's try for five reviews this time, 'k? I'm not gonna say "I won't update unless I get five reviews" but it would be nice.

I'll try to update faster next time, promise!

Viki


	5. A Storm and A BIG Surprise

AHHHHHH! I'm so sorry! I haven't updated in _forever_! I've been SERIOUSLY obsessed with Yu-Gi-Oh lately. Just finished the 1st season. Blame aem82, 'k? K. Let's roll.

* * *

**~FentonWorks – Sam's POV~**

Dani slept through the night on Danny's bed. He rolled out a sleeping bag on the floor next to her. I don't think he slept through the night, because I heard him fly out the window once or twice before I finally got to sleep. I figured his ghost sense had gone off.

What I was worried about was the next morning. What I was worried about was the next morning. What would his parents think of me staying at their house all weekend? What would happen with Dani? And what about Dan?

I felt bad waking up Danny, but it had to be done. When the three of us (Danielle was still asleep) finally went downstairs, we were met by the mouth-watering aroma of fresh chocolate-chip pancakes. Danny's mom had just taken them off the skillet. We all sat down at the table and started digging in, though Mrs. F. got out a plate, fork, and glass of milk for me first. She obviously hadn't been planning on feeding an extra mouth.

"Good morning!" she said when she sat down. "Danny, honey, care to explain why your friend is here?"

He finished chewing his bite of pancake, and answered. "Her parents are gone for the weekend, we figured you wouldn't mind if she stayed with us. She's sleeping in Jazz's room. That _is_ alright, isn't it?"

I thought I saw her eyes glow red for a second, but it was probably just more paranoia. "Of course, Danny. Why wouldn't it be?" she said. It almost seemed like she was a little _too_ happy to let me stay. But if I got to be here for the whole weekend, I wasn't going to argue.

After breakfast, Danny and Jazz and I went upstairs to check on Dani. She was still sleeping soundly, so the three of us went to Jazz's room to talk.

I sighed. "Well, at least we know it's okay for me to stay. But what about Dani?"

"I've got a hunch about what to do about this whole thing. I want to make sure she's safe. She needs a family and some stability."

Jazz and I agreed. "Good idea. We can't let her get hurt this badly. What are you planning to do?" Jazz commented. Danny grinned.

"It's a secret, for now," he said. "What really bothers me, though, is last night. I never look _that_ bad, even after a long night of ghosthunting. She had to've been fighting a ghost several times more powerful than her."

We all sat silently, stumped. Danny was right. I thought of several reasons that didn't involve a powerful ghost, but none of them felt right. I was just about to suggest that we call Tucker when we heard a yawn, quickly followed by a shout and the light tap of footsteps running down the hall.

"Danny! Where are you?"

* * *

**~FentonWorks – Dani's POV~**

'_Where am I?'_ I woke up in a bed, not able to recall most of the previous night. The mattress felt familiar, and I'd seen the comforter and sheets before, so I assumed I was somewhere safe. Only when I saw the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling and the astronomy posters around the walls did I realize this was Danny's room. I jumped off the bed to go look for him.

"Danny! Where are you?" I called. Yesterday was a Friday, right? So unless I'd slept for more than a day, he'd be around here somewhere.

I got lucky. "Danielle! You're up!" Danny twirled me up in his arms and spun me around. I giggled until he put me down and took me back to his room. He sat down on the side of the bed, and Jazz stood next to him. "How're you feeling?" he asked gently when I was back on the bed.

"I'm fine, but…" I frowned. "What happened last night?"

His face fell. "We were hoping you could tell us. You fell through the ceiling – intangibly – last night, and you were in bad shape. We took you up here and fixed you up a bit, and as soon as we were done you passed out."

"Oh. I remember fighting a ghost, and losing, but not much after that," I told him. He looked relieved.

"Good. I think if we put together the pieces and do a little research, we might have a whole puzzle," Danny decided, "-or at least close to it." Jazz nodded as Sam walked in the room.

"What?" I asked, confused.

Sam stood on Danny's other side. "I called Tucker. He'll be over here just as soon as he's had breakfast," she told us. Danny and Jazz nodded.

"Good," Danny confirmed. "We can plan here and then go take care of business elsewhere."

"Guys. The puzzle thing. What are you talking about?" I asked, louder than normal.

The three of them looked at me. "Sorry," Danny apologized. "You said you were fighting a new ghost and you lost, right? That means they're still out in the Human Zone somewhere. We need to get whoever it is back in the Ghost Zone, and that's a lot easier when we have some background on them. Make sense now?"

I nodded. "Thanks."

* * *

**~Sidewalk –Tucker's POV~**

When Sam called me at nine in the morning, on a Saturday, especially when we'd been up until eleven the night before, I knew something big had happened. Even the fact that she'd called me at all was unnerving. Usually it was Danny that called, if they just wanted to hang out. So of course, I'd answered my phone immediately when I heard Sam's Barbie Girl ringtone* go off. Sam's voice had sounded mostly commanding, but a little worried, as well. She'd ordered me to go to Danny's house as soon as possible.

That's why I was the first one in Team Phantom to see it. I didn't notice it at first, figured the heavily overcast sky just meant a big thunderstorm was in the works. I looked up when I felt the first few raindrops on my face. They felt eerily colder than normal rain, but they weren't snowflakes. It wasn't winter anyways.

When I saw the huge wall cloud that was quickly becoming a funnel cloud, though, I knew this was something Amity Park had never seen before. We were in for some _crazy_ weather.

Suspecting that Vortex had returned, I speed-dialed Sam as I raced towards the whirlwind. I could faintly hear her voice demanding an explanation, but I was too distracted to answer her. At the center of the massive storm, I saw not Vortex, but a new ghost. A ghost who seemed to be more powerful than all Danny's enemies combined.

* * *

**~FentonWorks – Sam's POV~**

It had to be a pocketdial. I answered Tucker's call, but all I heard was strong winds, some thunder, and a steady rush of loud pitter-patters that could only mean heavy rain. When we opened the window, my theory was proven right: sinister-looking storm clouds were rotating over Amity Park, and the downpour had already begun in Tucker's area.

"Danny, are you okay?" Dani asked. I looked over at him from my post at the window. He _did_ look a little… well, I'm not exactly sure how to describe it. He looked like he'd forgotten something, and couldn't remember it. Y'know, like if you have a tune in your head, and you know the song, but you can't figure out what it is, or even what the words are. He looked like that.

"Yes. Yes, I think I am, but…" He trailed off, gazing out the window at the coming storm.

"'But' what?" Jazz prodded.

He stared at the overcast sky for another minute, then waved off whatever he'd been considering. "It's nothing," Danny assured. "Nothing at all. We should go find Tucker now, shouldn't we?"

Jazz, Dani, and I nodded. We ran down the stairs and into the Fenton garage as fast as we could. Jazz got in the driver's seat, Danny sat next to her, and Dani and I sat in the back. Within minutes, we were gone, looking for Tuck.

When we were about halfway between Danny's house and Tucker's house, Danny yelled. "Jazz! Stop the car! _Now!_"

She did as he ordered, and as the car screeched to a halt, we looked where Danny was pointing and found out why. A tornado was forming, right here in Amity Park!

"Look in the center."

We did. Inside was a girl, undoubtedly a ghost. Her eyes were closed, but they were glowing, so we could easily tell she had Plasmius-eyes – pure, glowing red. It was impossible to see the color of anything else on her because of the red-and-black aura surrounding her.

It was easy to see _through_ the thing, though. On the other side of the tornado was Tucker.

Danny, Jazz, and Danielle had noticed him too. He was staring blankly at the twister and the girl in the twister, cell phone in hand. Guess he hadn't pocketdialed me after all.

We leaped out of the car and Danny began barking orders like a professional Guy in White. "Sam, Jazz, you guys go get Tucker. And make sure you go _way_ around that thing." He looked around, presumably checking for people in the area before transforming. Because of the storm, the streets were deserted. Strangely, this seemed to agitate him.

He turned to Dani. "Stay here. I don't want you fighting," he told her. She frowned.

"No."

"That wasn't a request."

"I don't care. I'm coming."

Danny looked really frustrated, and I could've sworn his eyes flashed red. It soon turned out I was right. Two transformation rings formed around his waist, but as they split apart, they revealed no other than –

Dan Phantom! I couldn't believe my eyes, but I didn't have time to think about it – or for that matter, get out an ectogun.

"You _will not_ fight, you _will _stay here, and you _will_ do as you're told. Comprendé?" Dan demanded.

Dani stared at him for a minute, trying to figure him out, and then suddenly rearranged her expression into a glare.

"No. No _comprendé_, Senor Impostor. Who are you, and why are you posing as Danny?"

Just then, a woman burst out of the house behind them and ran up to them. They looked at her like she was an idiot, and I really couldn't blame them. It's generally considered a bad idea to run up to a random ghost who has flaming hair and looks extremely dangerous.

* * *

**~Halfway Between Danny's House and Tucker's House – Dan's POV~**

I stared at the woman, and she stared back. "What do you want?" I finally growled.

"I've been watching you guys ever since you drove up," she said. "You want her to stay here, right? And she doesn't want to?"

I nodded.

"Look. I'll make her stay here and keep her out of the way, on one condition."

"Name your price, Miss. I'll decide whether or not it's worth it," I said crossly.

"I'm a journalist. I want an interview," she demanded.

"You've got yourself a deal," I quickly agreed. The storm was getting worse.

And as she put a hand on Danielle's shoulder, I flew off to battle.

* * *

*Tucker put 'Barbie Girl' as Sam's ringtone on his phone as a joke. She tolerates it.

* * *

Mwahahahaha, yes. I just went there. Go Dan. And in case you didn't get it, the woman in the last couple sections is Kylie Bennett. She is going to be epic for the win. And she's going to have a pairing, too! Guess who. XD And as soon as I post the next chapter of IBTS, I'm gonna disappear from FFN for a while. Gotta watch five straight seasons of Yu-Gi-Oh, and hopfully then the Japanese version. But considering my anime-watching-speed record (I watched DN Angel - 26 episodes - in two days last June), it shouldn't take all THAT long. Took me... what, a week? to watch the first season of YGO, so yeah. But I will be disappearing from here for at least until May 25, which is when school gets out. And then I have almost NO FREE TIME over the summer... DX

Check my dA account whenever you can, please! My dA account is oohpink. I've got stuff on there for several different shows. I'm also starting to post journals, too. So YAY.

Viki


	6. Announcement

Hey all!

I just wanted to let you guys know –

I'm not satisfied with the way this story is going, so I'm going to rewrite it. Hopefully I'll have it redone pretty soon, seeing as it's summer and I don't have to be in school. But for now, I'm going to leave it up, and when I have it rewritten the way I want it, I'll delete it and repost it. IBTS will stay up and I'll be working on it, and I've also decided that when I've finished with BTL and IBTS, I'll continue His Destruction! But I'm gonna have to rename HD, 'cuz it'll be somewhat different.

Alright! See you guys soon!

Viki


	7. Fin

The cold, blaring sound of an alarm clock interrupted the noise of the new ghost's attack.

'_What the-?'_ I thought.

"Dan. For the _last time_, get up. Your alarm is messing with my clocks, and _I_ am not turning it off."

Clockwork? What was he doing here? He'd completely disappeared!

Wait…

* * *

I blinked several times, my eyes just getting used to being open. "_Clockwork?_ The heck?"

No answer.

The alarm was still beeping. I destroyed what I hoped was the snooze button.

"Finally."

I looked over at him.

"You actually let me out? You _do _realize I'm going to kill you now, right?" I asked him incredulously.

He only smirked. "Wrong."

The man was infuriating! "What in the-?" I tried to fly at him, but my powers were gone – every last one of them.

"I have a mission for you."

* * *

Gomen. I'm sorry. I know it's a terrible ending, but I didn't want to leave this story out on FFN without knowing what would happen to it. I promise you, a rewrite is in the works, even if it is going slowly. Hopefully, it'll be worth the wait. I know this wasn't. Please forgive me.

Viki


End file.
